Volume III, Number Irish-American Historical Society January-February 1991 Winter storm on Sound almost cost Irish sailor his life I,n all his years at sea, an Irish-Amer­ ican sailor named John Kelly never was as terrified as he was one stormy winter day in 1884 when the schooner Jane was driven onto Spindle Reef outside New Haven harbor. The Jane, bound from Elizabeth, N.J., to Providence with a cargo ofcoal, anchored at the mouth of the harbor about 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28. During the night, a winter storm blew up on the Sound. The wind rose to such force that the Jane's anchor could not hold and about 4 a.m. the schooner was driven onto Spindle Reef and sank. At dawn on Friday, Feb. 29, with the storm still raging, the tugboat Boyd -'~-' steaming down the harbor toward Mor­ _00 ris Cove to come to the aid of another -........ _.=- 0_ .. ship in distress, sponed the wreck ofthe Jane on Spindle Reef. enough to rescue three of the four sail­ Although darkness was closing in, a Through their telescopes, the horri­ ors clinging to the shanered rigging. number of rescuers refused to give up fied crew of the Boyd saw that only the But the fourth man, Kelly, a 50-year­ the anempt. A third anempt failed rigging of the Jane remained above wa­ old veteran seaman from New York when two ofthe would-be rescuers were ter and that four men were clinging to City, seemed so benumbed by the wind frostbinen in the still-raging gale. that rigging as the wind and waves bat­ and cold that he was unable to clamber Finally at 6:30 p.m., a boat ofvol un­ tered the ship's hulk. from the rigging to safety, and at length teers led by Mate Edward Smeed of the Because of his tug's small size, the the crew of the yawl gave up the schooner Emma P. Angell, set out from captain of the Boyd did not dare at­ anempt. Lighthouse Point, against the advice of tempt a rescue but instead steamed After depositing the three rescued those on the beach. Rowing into the back up the harbor to sound the alert. sailors at Belle Dock about 2 p.m.,the teeth of the storm, the small boat Soon the Frederick Ives, the largest tug­ Ives steamed back to Spindle Reef and reached the Jane and was able to rescue boat in the harbor fleet, was steaming made another unsuccessful anempt to Kelly. toward the wreck. rescue Kelly. The crew of the Ives re­ The next day, from a bed in the city On reaching the Jane, the rves sent ported that the stranded sailor did not hospital, Kelly recounted his out its yawl and after maneuvering dare jump into the water as the others experience: back and forth in the heavy seas for had and was too badly frozen to grasp a Please turn to Daile 4 some time, it was able to get near line. City bathhouse keeper spent years in British prison During the early years of the 20th Day, 1884, from America, where I had number ofpeople to see ifanyone could century, an Irishman with quite a histo­ lived for many years. 011 the evening of identifY me as being connected with the ry was superintendent of New Haven's Feb. 2, 1885, two detectives knocked at explosions. But none could do so. public bathhouse on St. John Street my room. They examined all my prop­ "However, I was brought up to Bow near East Street. erty, took charge ofmy trunks, carefully Street police court and examined at fre­ Before coming to New Haven scraping the dust out ofthem. They had quent intervals during a period of 12 around the turn of the century, Patrick no warrant for my arrest, but that to weeks and it took all of that time to Henehan had spent 15 years in an Eng­ them was nothing. They arrested me on manufacture a case against me. FinaUy, lish prison after being convicted of in­ suspicion and took me to Scotland as was inevitable to satisfY a prejudiced volvement in a dynamiting campaign Yard for further questioning. I was then Irish-hating populace, a true bill was organized by the Fenians against the only 30 years of age. brought in against me and on the 10th British. "The dust taken from my trunks was day of May following I was brought to The story, as Henehan told it to a closely examined by the detectives but trial before Judge Hawkins at Old Bai­ New Haven Union reporter in 1915, is as no dynamite was found it was ley in London. as follows: thrown away. For three days, I was held "When arrested I gave the name of "I arrived in London on Christmas there, and each day paraded before a Please turn to page 2 Page 2 British prison was home for city bathhouse keeper Continued from page I Henry Burton of New York and all the efforts of Scotland Yard to discover m} true identity were futile ... "My trial was a mockery and a farce. The indictment charged me with mak­ ing war against her majesty's subjects ... Bribery and corruption were the or­ der of the day and the scoundrels who testified for the government gave their evidence in such a contradictory man­ ner that the simplest eyewitness could see that they were not telling the truth, but were relating manufactured testi­ mony ... "Aft~r the arguments had been con­ cluded by the anorney-general and the anorneys for the defense, Judge Haw­ kins opened his charge to the jury with these words, 'Gentlemen of the jury, there cannot be a shadow of doubt in your minds that this man is guilty of the most grievous offence against the laws of England and any penalty whid: it lies in your power to inflict will fall far short of punishing him as he de­ serves, for he has been levying war against her most gracious majesty and her loyal subjects ... "The jury retired, but well I knew from the judge's charge that this was mere form and that they had their ver­ dict already prepared and in a few brief moments the prearranged verdict of guilty was returned. Then the court ... with grim emphasis said, 'You are sen­ tenced to penal servitude for your natu­ ral life .. .' "I was first sent to Newgate and then taken to Chatham prison where I re­ mained for six years ... During the first nine months of my imprisonment, I was confined in a penal cell 23 out of24 hours each day. My breakfast consisted of a little coarse bread and cocoa. A hard day's work of the most objectiona­ ble kind followed, subject to the vigi­ lance of officious wardens whose pro­ motion was governed by the amount of work they could get out of me and my feJlow prisoners and the degradation that they inflicted on me ... "Although we were all confined in one prison, we were completely isolated from each other, so far as conversation was concerned. To pass a look of recog­ nition was deemed an offence of the two nights suffering from the adminis­ "This was the case winter and sum­ worst nature. Needless to say, these of­ tration of a drug which we got at inter­ mer alike. Then I would be searched for fences were often committed. vals and which I believe was given for what cause I know not unless to de­ "But whenever detected, we had to no other purpose than to render us lu­ prive me of my rest and shivering and pay for it in fine style - bread and natics ... I would on the third night unable to sleep I would lie down again. water from three to 21 days being the seek the repose which had fled on the Often I fainted over the bench at which penalty, and while partaking of this nu­ previous ones. I worked from exhaustion and hunger. tritious food, we would get special pun­ "I would be lulling myself to sleep "The state of things was bad enough, ishment and extra hard labor to sharp­ on my plank bed when suddenly I but worst of all the horrors which I was en our appetites ... would be awakened and I would hear compelled to endure I saw some of my "Searches and re-searches ofour per­ the grim old warden exclaim in his fellow prisoners fading away physically son and our cells were the order of the stentorian voice, 'You sleepy Irish dog, and mentally before my eyes. I well day, and particularly of the night. After arise.' knew that their sufferings would soon Page 3 Blacks formed league afore he came to New Haven to protect voting rights be over, but I was unable to help them or notice of any kind appertaining to In October 1906, Connecticut Afri­ in any way and this awful sight had a my release was allowed to come into can-Americans founded one of the terribly depressing effect on my own my possession. state's earliest civil rights organizations: spirits, as I well had reason to believe "When the time finally came for me the Constitutional League of that what was befalling them might be to hand over my felon's garb and no Connecticut. my own fate later on. longer wear the broad arrow that was Fifty representatives from commu­ "The sight of those good and true the symbol of degradation which had nities throughout the state met in New been my constant companion for so types of Irish manhood and patriotism Haven on Wednesday, Oct.